A conventional matte generator receives input signals representative of luminance, hue and saturation from an operator interface, and combines the luminance information with the chromaticity (hue and saturation) information to provide color difference signals. The matte generator also receives a black burst signal, i.e. a signal containing sync and burst but no picture information, and the black burst signal is applied to a sync separator and a subcarrier regenerator. The sync separator provides horizontal and vertical sync signals, and the subcarrier regenerator provides a continuous wave (c.w.) reference subcarrier signal in predetermined phase relationship to the burst of the black burst signal. The luminance and chrominance signals, the horizontal and vertical sync signals and the c.w. reference subcarrier signal are applied to an encoder which provides a composite matte signal at its output. The matte signal represents a solid color.
A production switcher may be used to combine an internally-generated matte signal with an external video signal. In order to combine the signals satisfactorily, the horizontal and vertical sync pulses of the matte signal must be aligned in time with the horizontal and vertical sync pulses of the external video signal. This is accomplished by use of a variable delay interposed between the sync separator and the encoder of the matte generator. Moreover, the burst of the matte signal must be in phase with the burst of the external video signal. It is conventional to achieve the desired phase relationship using a vector monitor. The phase relationship between the burst of the external video signal and a c.w. reference subcarrier signal of arbitrary phase, e.g. the reference subcarrier signal that is applied to the encoder, is measured using the vector monitor, and then the phase relationship between the burst of the matte signal and the c.w. reference subcarrier signal is measured. The phase of the burst of the matte signal is adjusted, using a variable delay interposed between the subcarrier regenerator and the video encoder, until the phase offset between the burst of the matte signal and the reference subcarrier signal is the same as the phase offset between the burst of the external video signal and the reference subcarrier signal.
In order to carry out this procedure for phase adjustment, it is necessary for the operator of the switcher to have access to a vector monitor and it is necessary for the operator to focus attention on the vector monitor and the adjustment of the variable delay.